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Owners say police shot and killed pet dog

Kylie, left, and Kelly Law sit on their front porch with their dogs, Rue, left, Remo, and Biggie Smalls at their home in Northport on Tuesday. Remo's father, a 3-year-old pit bull named Cage, was shot and killed by a Northport Police officer Monday in front of their home. Kylie is holding a picture of Cage.

Michelle Lepianka Carter | Tuscaloosa News

By Lydia Seabol AvantStaff Writer

Published: Tuesday, June 25, 2013 at 7:23 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, June 25, 2013 at 7:23 p.m.

NORTHPORT | City police shot and killed a pit bull on its owner’s front porch Monday. According to police, the dog was running loose, growled and charged at officers; neighbors say the dog showed no aggression and was killed despite their pleas to save the animal.

“That dog didn’t bite nobody or growl at nobody. I was standing right there,” said Donald Montgomery, who lives across the street from where the pit bull lived. “They just murdered that man’s dog.”

A Northport animal control officer was called to 69th Avenue in Northport to issue a citation to Montgomery for having too many dogs. He has five dogs, he said, which is two more than the city allows. It was while the animal control officer was giving him a citation that the officer noticed the pit bull walk around the home across the street and lie on his owner’s front porch.

Soon after, Northport police were called for backup and the animal control officer attempted to catch the dog with a catch stick, Montgomery said. When the animal control officer came toward the dog, it attempted to go down the stairs of the front porch, according to neighbors, and toward his kennel in the backyard.

According to a statement from the Northport police, a police officer tried to push the dog away with the baton, but the dog tried to attack the officers, who were standing in the home’s front yard.

“The dog attempted to attack a Northport city employee and to protect the employee, the dog had to be destroyed,” Northport Police Chief Kerry Card said.

Card said police are instructed to destroy an animal in cases of self-defense, to prevent harm to a citizen or police officer or to relieve a severely injured animal from suffering.

Area resident Rachel Bolen said she witnessed the shooting and that she begged for the police not to shoot the dog because he wasn’t aggressive. She called the dog’s owner on her cellphone so the owner could come home and put the dog up, but it was too late.

“I had her on the phone, but the man wouldn’t stop,” Bolen said.

The dog was shot three times and died on his owner’s front porch, according to witnesses.

The dog — a 3-year-old blue pit bull named Cage — was never aggressive to anyone or anything, said his owner, Kelly Law. The pit bull had spent time around young children and enjoyed playing with Law’s other blue pit bull and his wife’s two Chihuahuas, Law said.

“He was always loving, caring and wanted to lick you, and he never even really barked that much,” Law said.

Blue pit bulls are generally the same size as standard pit bulls but are considered rare because of their grayish-blue coloration. Cage was 85 pounds and slightly taller than the standard pit bull. He was considered to have a “purple ribbon” bloodline that can be traced back 14 generations of breeding, Law said. Cage was a family pet who had escaped his backyard kennel Monday morning. The other family dogs have been whining and crying in Cage’s absence, Law said.

After the dog was shot, Law built a wooden coffin for Cage and buried him Monday night on family property in the county. He said he believes the dog was shot not due to aggression, but due to misconceptions about the breed.

“It’s an ongoing thing, the images that people have about pit bulls,” Law said. “The police were trigger-happy and reacted irrationally.”

The Northport Police have not received any complaints from the owner or witnesses, Card said. But, if there were any inconsistencies, the NPD will do a thorough investigation, Card said.

“If there is something amiss in this, I can assure anyone involved that we will do a full investigation,” Card said.

<p>NORTHPORT | City police shot and killed a pit bull on its owner's front porch Monday. According to police, the dog was running loose, growled and charged at officers; neighbors say the dog showed no aggression and was killed despite their pleas to save the animal. </p><p>“That dog didn't bite nobody or growl at nobody. I was standing right there,” said Donald Montgomery, who lives across the street from where the pit bull lived. “They just murdered that man's dog.”</p><p>A Northport animal control officer was called to 69th Avenue in Northport to issue a citation to Montgomery for having too many dogs. He has five dogs, he said, which is two more than the city allows. It was while the animal control officer was giving him a citation that the officer noticed the pit bull walk around the home across the street and lie on his owner's front porch. </p><p>Soon after, Northport police were called for backup and the animal control officer attempted to catch the dog with a catch stick, Montgomery said. When the animal control officer came toward the dog, it attempted to go down the stairs of the front porch, according to neighbors, and toward his kennel in the backyard.</p><p>“The dog wasn't aggressive, he wasn't bothering anybody,” said another neighbor, Clementine Adams, who witnessed the event. </p><p>According to a statement from the Northport police, a police officer tried to push the dog away with the baton, but the dog tried to attack the officers, who were standing in the home's front yard. </p><p>“The dog attempted to attack a Northport city employee and to protect the employee, the dog had to be destroyed,” Northport Police Chief Kerry Card said.</p><p>Card said police are instructed to destroy an animal in cases of self-defense, to prevent harm to a citizen or police officer or to relieve a severely injured animal from suffering. </p><p>Area resident Rachel Bolen said she witnessed the shooting and that she begged for the police not to shoot the dog because he wasn't aggressive. She called the dog's owner on her cellphone so the owner could come home and put the dog up, but it was too late. </p><p>“I had her on the phone, but the man wouldn't stop,” Bolen said. </p><p>The dog was shot three times and died on his owner's front porch, according to witnesses. </p><p>The dog — a 3-year-old blue pit bull named Cage — was never aggressive to anyone or anything, said his owner, Kelly Law. The pit bull had spent time around young children and enjoyed playing with Law's other blue pit bull and his wife's two Chihuahuas, Law said. </p><p>“He was always loving, caring and wanted to lick you, and he never even really barked that much,” Law said. </p><p>Blue pit bulls are generally the same size as standard pit bulls but are considered rare because of their grayish-blue coloration. Cage was 85 pounds and slightly taller than the standard pit bull. He was considered to have a “purple ribbon” bloodline that can be traced back 14 generations of breeding, Law said. Cage was a family pet who had escaped his backyard kennel Monday morning. The other family dogs have been whining and crying in Cage's absence, Law said. </p><p>After the dog was shot, Law built a wooden coffin for Cage and buried him Monday night on family property in the county. He said he believes the dog was shot not due to aggression, but due to misconceptions about the breed. </p><p>“It's an ongoing thing, the images that people have about pit bulls,” Law said. “The police were trigger-happy and reacted irrationally.”</p><p>The Northport Police have not received any complaints from the owner or witnesses, Card said. But, if there were any inconsistencies, the NPD will do a thorough investigation, Card said. </p><p>“If there is something amiss in this, I can assure anyone involved that we will do a full investigation,” Card said. </p><p>Reach Lydia Seabol Avant at 205-722-0222 or lydia.seabolavant@tuscaloosanews.com.</p>